Brad Binder had proclaimed it to anyone who would listen during the two days preceding the race of this Qatar Grand Prix which opened the MotoGP season on Sunday: you should keep an eye on him because he was indeed watching the podium. But as he was riding a KTM, we didn't pay too much attention to this enthusiasm. However, it was a solid certainty and the South African demonstrated it on the track. After a fiery start, he positioned himself in the leading trio before intelligently increasing his pace. In the last few hundred meters, we even believed that he was going to steal victory from Bastianini on the Ducati Gresini GP21… Now there remains this question concerning the KTM official: revelation or flash in the pan?
We will pay a little more attention to the comments of Brad Binder on his intentions and ambitions and we will be convinced of the fact that he has found the recipe to make this RC16, which is an enigma for his distinguished colleagues, a formidable weapon. At Qatar, he thus showed himself more than to his advantage on a machine that was not expected at such a celebration. First there was this fire: “ yes, it was a crazy start » remembers the South African. “ I knew I could get off to a good start like those of 2021. But there, I got off to a particularly good start. Alors que je me lançais et que je passais la rangée devant moi, je me disais : “Oh, c’est parfait !”. C’était idéal que je puisse me glisser dans le premier virage à la troisième place. J’ai réussi à rester calme et à suivre les gars devant moi ».
What followed was a matter of composure and determination: “ I had one of the cleanest races of my career in MotoGP said Brad, who lives in Andorra and whose brother Darryn only narrowly missed out on his first point on his MotoGP debut on the WithU-Yamaha, ultimately finishing 16th. “ The Losail circuit has always been a difficult track for KTM. If someone had predicted to me that we would make a podium here in 2022 a year ago, I would have called them a liar ».
Brad Binder: “j’ai trouvé que j’étais peut-être un peu trop prudent”
Second in the race and therefore second in the championship, Brad Binder still has one regret… “ I found that maybe I was a little too careful. Maybe we even adjusted the traction control too conservatively, because in some places I didn't get the power I needed “, declared the now three-time winner in MotoGP. “ But if you notice that in the race, there's not much you can change. When I realized this problem, I thought, “I wish I had realized this sooner.” This means there are still areas in the race where we can improve. But I have such an incredible team behind me… Starting the season second here is awesome and incredible. We'll stay focused from there », declared the sixth of the last championship.
« We will continue to work because our package is still quite new », continues the teammate of a Miguel Oliveira cast into the shadows. “ We still have things up our sleeve. Yes, I feel confidence and trust in this project ". Listening to him, we should put him on the list of contenders for the title. Should it be included? “ I would like to answer this question in the affirmative. » he smiled. “ Because I think we are capable of being at the front every GP weekend nowt. The new bike runs incredibly well. And the most important : I have great confidence in the front wheel. I also know that we can still improve behind. If we can do that we will have a really strong package ". To measure the feat of Brad Binder, it should be mentioned that his teammate Miguel Oliveira gave up after a fall. The Moto2 world champion Remy gardner scored a championship point in 15th position on his MotoGP debut. His Tech3 KTM teammate Raul Fernandez saw the checkered flag in 18th and last place.
MotoGP Qatar J3: ranking
Credit classification motogp.com
